The National Authority for Economics and Development (NEDA), the Ministry of Finance and the World Bank presented a survey Thursday to assess the effect of the 2019 coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) on households.
“An effective strategy to reduce uncertainty is to obtain accurate information at the right time. And that’s where those high-frequency surveys will be of maximum use,” NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon said at Thursday’s briefing #AskNEDA.
“We want to know what Americans and businesses are aware of what they want to do, what it is and what they expect. We want to know if Americans and businesses are receiving assistance from the government and even from local communities and other sectors,” he added.
Edillon said the government also wants to know how others are dealing with the existing scenario and how the government and other stakeholders can help more.
Achim Fock, the World Bank’s director of operations for Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, said the research aimed to provide political decision-making of the government in response to the socio-economic effects of Covid-19.
“This survey looks at the effect of Covid’s pandemic on Filipino households,” he said.
Fock said the high-frequency surveillance formula survey component provides an immediate and common state of employment, education, fitness and other key social coverage spaces in the Philippines.
“The formula will allow the government to assess the socio-economic effect of the pandemic over time, respond in a timely manner, and expand its decision-making based on evidence that will protect the fitness and livelihood of families,” he said. Said.
“This family survey will be implemented through a variety of modes through a phone interview and an online form. The consultation would be open for one week from August 6 and will close,” he added.
The government has conducted several investigations to determine the extent to which Covid-19s have an effect on consumers and businesses.
“We want to know all the statistics. Precedence remains: still [saving] lives in the economy, but at the same time we are aware that a prolonged blockade of the economy can also lead to other physical fitness disorders not similar to Covid, and that is also what we want to solve. We believe we can really achieve this balance if we all paint in combination and are well informed about it, and that’s where the survey data will be useful,” Edillon said.
When asked whether or not NEDA favors the return of modified network quarantine amid the growing number of Covid-19 cases, Edillon said the agency’s role is to provide contributions.
“NEDA is part of the IATF [Interagency Working Group on Emerging Infectious Diseases]. Many recommendations are being considered as here, all are put on the table and in the end is the resolution of the President [Rodrigo Duterte]. Our role is actually to supply inputs, but only inputs under our responsibility. For our part, what we want to do is the resolution and make sure it works,” Edillon said.
“We recognize that there are safe goals that want to be prioritized and in fact we are with the other agencies involved in the IATF and, as I said, our precedence is very transparent – we want to save lives but at the same time as we can imagine to revive the economy,” he added.